JOHANNESBURG - Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted on Monday that he is not settled yet on what the makeup of the starting XV will be when the Springboks run out for the first Test against England at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday.

The Boks put in a lacklustre performance in their once-off Test against Wales in the American capital city of Washington DC, eventually losing 22-20 in Erasmus’ first Test in charge. The former Cheetahs and Bok loose-forward admitted that the logistics around travelling and the weather hampered the Boks performance against Wales.

“The weather was pretty bad, it was like playing in Durban, humid and the rain didn’t help either. It made the guys kick a lot more than we would have wanted to. The travel also affected the guys and you could see how flat we were in the first half despite doing everything possible.”

Although the Boks lost to Wales, Erasmus was happy with some of the individual performances and says the 15 players who did duty against Wales could come into contention for selection for the first Test match against England.

“The 15 guys staying behind will be in the mix for the first match against England. If you look at the guy like Steven Kitshoff and compare him to Beast Mtawarira, he can play in any team and Ox Nché is someone we are really excited about looking at further.”

The Montpellier duo of Bismarck du Plessis and Frans Steyn will not be considered for selection this week because of their involvement in the French Top 14 final against Castre in which they lost 29-13.